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S N Ursula Naofa

Community-rooted education in Waterford

We keep place, memory, and learning moving together.

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S N Ursula Naofa supports children and families through local, practical work grounded in dignity, continuity, and trust. We partner with educators, neighbours, and volunteers to build steady spaces for learning, listening, and shared care. Our work stays close to the people and places that shape everyday life in Waterford.
Children and volunteers gathered outdoors
1998

A local table became a lasting network.

Parents, teachers, and neighbours began meeting regularly to keep support close to families facing isolation. That first circle shaped the organisation’s long practice of showing up before a need becomes a crisis.

Community session taking place around a shared activity
2009

Field visits became part of the weekly rhythm.

Outreach moved beyond one site and into homes, meeting halls, and school gates. Listening in place helped the team adapt programmes to real family schedules, transport limits, and community knowledge.

Large gathering framed by landscape and evening light
2021

Shared learning returned to the centre.

After a period of disruption, families asked for spaces that felt calm, practical, and visibly rooted in community. S N Ursula Naofa rebuilt around that request with intergenerational workshops, open conversations, and direct support.

Faces of the work

Six first names. Six different ways community knowledge gets carried forward. Click each portrait to reveal a brief story.

Portrait of Aoife

Aoife coordinates after-school sessions and keeps attendance flexible for families balancing shift work, care duties, and travel.

Portrait of Michael

Michael leads repair days where young people learn by fixing benches, repainting rooms, and seeing shared spaces improve in real time.

Portrait of Niamh

Niamh gathers oral histories from parents and grandparents so school projects begin with local voices instead of distant templates.

Portrait of Seán

Seán helps connect families with practical supports and makes sure concerns raised quietly still get followed through carefully.

Portrait of Bríd

Bríd runs garden-based learning sessions where literacy, food knowledge, and confidence develop side by side.

Portrait of Liam

Liam documents events, tracks local partnerships, and turns one-off visits into relationships that keep returning value to the area.

“What matters most is that people here are recognised before they are measured.”

Field note, family listening circle

“The strongest programmes start by asking who already knows this place best.”

Field note, Ballytruckle workshop

Where We Work

A simple local footprint across school, neighbourhood, and partner sites in and around Waterford.

  • Ballytruckle, Waterford City

    School-based learning, family contact, and weekly community meetings.

  • Tramore

    Seasonal workshops focused on wellbeing, movement, and local storytelling.

  • Portlaw

    Shared projects with volunteers, youth groups, and rural support networks.

  • South Kilkenny border communities

    Cross-county partnership work where transport and access need practical coordination.

How to Help

Three direct ways to support the work without adding unnecessary complexity.

Upcoming events

A short list of open sessions, gatherings, and public conversations.

  • 14 May 2026
    Ballytruckle, Waterford City

    Open family workshop

    An evening session on local learning routines, shared meals, and practical support.

    Attend
  • 02 June 2026
    Tramore

    Field note walk

    A guided coastal walk pairing observation, photography, and intergenerational storytelling.

    Learn more
  • 18 June 2026
    Portlaw

    Community partner forum

    Local groups compare needs, share tools, and align support before the summer term.

    See details

Media

A grayscale press strip for local and regional coverage.

  • WLR FM
  • Waterford News & Star
  • Munster Express
  • RTÉ Community
  • The Irish Times